North Carolina Republican lawmakers passed a bill that would strip the state’s incoming Democratic governor and attorney general of key powers before potentially losing their veto-proof supermajority in the Legislature. The legislation would transfer the authority to appoint members to the state’s election board to the state auditor, a Republican, instead of the governor’s office. The bill also includes changes to shorten the time for voters to fix ballot errors and require counties to count ballots more rapidly.
The bill was written behind closed doors and introduced as a committee substitute, replacing a bill about dental practices. Despite opposition from some Republicans, both chambers passed the bill in just two days. Democratic Governor Roy Cooper criticized the measure as a “power grab.” The State Board of Elections was not consulted on the legislation, which would make it harder for county boards to count every eligible ballot cast.
The bill also proposes prohibiting the attorney general from taking legal positions contrary to those of the Legislature, and stripping the governor of some of his power in filling judicial vacancies. Republicans are close to losing their supermajority in the Legislature, meaning they may not be able to override future vetoes from the incoming attorney general without Democratic support. Incoming Attorney General Jeff Jackson could be prevented from refusing to defend laws passed by the Legislature, as his predecessor did with the state’s new abortion law.
The bill is seen as a response to past clashes between the state’s Democratic administration and the Republican-led Legislature. Democrats have criticized the bill as a partisan power grab rather than a response to the needs of the state’s residents and communities.
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